Why do I blog on my days off?

Am I a puck-headed, no-life fool for writing a blog on my day off? Or am I just a dedicated, news-never-stops newspaper guy who can’t help it?
Probably much of both.

But let me describe the scene here: I’m sitting around in my living room, after having played Thomas The Train with my son, Thomas, for about half an hour, before my back started acting up and I had to sit in a seat with a back to it.
Man, what I wouldn’t give to have the flexibility of a 4-year-old boy again. While I lumber around up and down off the floor to push miniature Thomas trains around, little Tommy springs nimble and quick, a virtual gumbi to my Mac truck in maneuverability.
But I did do some yoga today for the back, and gained a few hours of good relief.Na mas dei

Anywho, Thomas is content to push his trains around here on the Island of Sodor setup that takes up roughly 35 percent of our dining room. This kid is obsessed with Thomas the way I was with Walruses around his age. If there was a picture of a walrus around, it had to either be given to me outright, or it had to be bought – no exceptions. If not, a piercing screaming fit would ensue.

Then came Batman at around age 5 or 6. Adam West was my personal God, and if I ever get the chance to meet him, I will be very nervous. I’m surprised I’ve never gone to one of the Batman conventions, but I guess I’m not that big of a geek.

Anyway, loved the Batman show, and regularly dressed up as the Caped Crusader when the show came on, whipping the snot of of pillows-turned-villains with a Shanghai-style cane.

Then came sports, and I guess that brings me to the here and now. I’m a 43-year-old man writing about hockey, which either means I have a fun job, or one completely devoid of real meaning. Probably some of both.

I’m supposed to be off today, but I couldn’t help but make a few calls to try and get the latest on Smitty and Svats.
As of 5 p.m. Mountain right now, I don’t think the news will be good. As I wrote yesterday, Smyth’s real injury was to the left shoulder. The only question now is the degree of separation, or if it’s an outright dislocation.

As for Svatos, the knee was bent in a classic, torn-ACL way. I hope for his sake it’s not that bad, but this is an Avs forward with a last name starting with ‘S’, so you know the news won’t be good.

Wolski, Hlinka and, perhaps, Hensick are going to have to pick up the slack.

Oh yeah, and a guy named Forsberg. I think he’ll play tomorrow night for sure, against the Canucks. He’s getting really antsy to play, and there’s no reason to think he can’t go out there and play 10-15 minutes, especially against a soft team like Vancouver.
(Send me your emails now, Canuck-heads).
The Canucks are a fraud, and Dave Nonis was outfoxed by everyone at the deadline, only getting a stiff named Matt Pettinger. They can’t score goals, and Luongo is good, but not invincible.

Nonis made a great trade getting Luongo for the gutless, wimpy, fraudulent, awful player named Todd Bertuzzi (Hey Bert, have fun signing your entire life savings over to Steve Moore in a couple years. Oh yes, trust me, it’s coming, “dude”). But he hasn’t addressed Vancouver’s woeful offensive issues since and they are going to fall apart before long.

I honestly think the Avs would beat Detroit in the first round of a playoff series right now, too. BUT, only if they get Smyth back. They really need that presence in front of the net to do it. Otherwise, Detroit still has the edge with their puck control. But the skill disparity up front has been largely wiped out with the returns of Sakic, Stastny and, now, Foppa. Detroit fans have made a big deal out of sweeping the Avs this season, but not once did Colorado have a healthy lineup – and you’ve seen what happens to Detroit when they lose a key guy themselves, like Lidstrom. They couldn’t beat anybody. Oh, and I remember the last time the Wings had the kind of smug attitude after beating the Avs the way they did last month: It was after Game 2 of the 1999 Western semi-finals, after Detroit shut the Avs out at home to take a 2-0 lead back to the Joe. And what happened? Avs win the next four games, and with total ease. So, don’t count those chickens just yet, Motown.

Datsyuk is a playoff bust year after year, and that won’t stop. Zetterberg has a back rapidly turning into one like mine, and guys like Hudler, Filppula (or however his name is spelled) and Kirk “The Diver” Maltby will do nothing in the playoffs.

All in all, I’m looking forward to the coming weeks, kids.

***UPDATE: Well, I called it. Torn ACL for Svats, out for the year. Smyth out with “minor” shoulder separation, and now what the Avs are calling a concussion. Yesterday, the Avs said he checked out fine from a CT scan. So, the Avs said one thing at first, and it turned out to be another when all was said and done. It’s OK, I’m used to it.

TSN.ca is reporting that Smyth is out indefinitely with a concussion and minor shoulder separation. Svatos is done for the year with a torn ACL. At least Smyth could be back before the playoffs. Still terrible news overall.

Get well guys. Thanks for the great year, Marek. Too bad it had to end this way.

Dave

TSN.ca is reporting that Smyth is out indefinitely with a concussion and minor shoulder separation. Svatos is done for the year with a torn ACL. At least Smyth could be back before the playoffs. Still terrible news overall.

Get well guys. Thanks for the great year, Marek. Too bad it had to end this way.

Joe

I hope you never stop making posts like this.

Joe

I hope you never stop making posts like this.

BiB

Keep on blogging, AD, keep on blogging. I enjoy your updates on your days off. I also enjoy your candid bashing of our rivals, something you probably can’t do in the print version, eh?

Wolski really needs to step it up. He seemed to be coming along so well earlier in the year, and was even physical for a while there. Then he slipped back into the same non-physical play that got him back in Q’s doghouse.

BiB

Keep on blogging, AD, keep on blogging. I enjoy your updates on your days off. I also enjoy your candid bashing of our rivals, something you probably can’t do in the print version, eh?

Wolski really needs to step it up. He seemed to be coming along so well earlier in the year, and was even physical for a while there. Then he slipped back into the same non-physical play that got him back in Q’s doghouse.

Shane

The problem with CT scans is that they’re very ineffective for diagnosing concussions. Basically to the point of being useless IMHO.

I haven’t minded how the medical team has doled out their information for these two injuries. They showed an attitude of caution rather than optimism right off the bat which made you prepare for the worst rather than expecting both to be back in the lineup on Tuesday.

It may not make up for the way they handled the rest of the injuries this season but it does show some change.

And it got me thinking about how the information is doled out. I may have railed against the medical team – yep, that was me ;) – without considering that it may have been the PR department releasing preliminary results too early.

Shane

The problem with CT scans is that they’re very ineffective for diagnosing concussions. Basically to the point of being useless IMHO.

I haven’t minded how the medical team has doled out their information for these two injuries. They showed an attitude of caution rather than optimism right off the bat which made you prepare for the worst rather than expecting both to be back in the lineup on Tuesday.

It may not make up for the way they handled the rest of the injuries this season but it does show some change.

And it got me thinking about how the information is doled out. I may have railed against the medical team – yep, that was me ;) – without considering that it may have been the PR department releasing preliminary results too early.

Todd

Am I the only one that thinks the hit on Smyth was at least questionable? While it may be within the rules, Johnson had plenty of time to figure out where Smyth would end up. It’s not as if Smyth turned towards the boards at the last moment the way Draper did. Given the severity of injuries that can happen in that area, the league should protect players from getting hit there the way the NFL protects its quarterbacks. Not to downplay the injuries he sustained (didn’t Deadmarsh retire due to concussions?), but Ryan Smyth is very fortunate that it wasn’t a lot worse.

Todd

Am I the only one that thinks the hit on Smyth was at least questionable? While it may be within the rules, Johnson had plenty of time to figure out where Smyth would end up. It’s not as if Smyth turned towards the boards at the last moment the way Draper did. Given the severity of injuries that can happen in that area, the league should protect players from getting hit there the way the NFL protects its quarterbacks. Not to downplay the injuries he sustained (didn’t Deadmarsh retire due to concussions?), but Ryan Smyth is very fortunate that it wasn’t a lot worse.

John

Adrian,

This was a good post. Thoughtful, funny, and a little bit more into that mind of yours–one can only get too close, I’m sure. But thanks for the top-notch reporting.

Here’s hoping that Wolski finds the back of the net again, and that Smyth won’t be out too long. The Avs are starting to look formidable again, and Foot has been playing surprisingly well.

And I have a bit of a man-crush on Ruslan Salei. OK, I might be exaggerating.

John

Adrian,

This was a good post. Thoughtful, funny, and a little bit more into that mind of yours–one can only get too close, I’m sure. But thanks for the top-notch reporting.

Here’s hoping that Wolski finds the back of the net again, and that Smyth won’t be out too long. The Avs are starting to look formidable again, and Foot has been playing surprisingly well.

And I have a bit of a man-crush on Ruslan Salei. OK, I might be exaggerating.

Ryan

Deep burn on the Canucks, especially Bert.

And well deserved.

Keep the edge on the blog AD, great read. Reminds me a little bit of John Buccigross. Very entertaining.

Ryan

Deep burn on the Canucks, especially Bert.

And well deserved.

Keep the edge on the blog AD, great read. Reminds me a little bit of John Buccigross. Very entertaining.

Matt Saler

“Datsyuk is a playoff bust year after year.”

Dater, do your job and check your facts before you make ridiculous statements like that. I know this is not a formal article for the Post, but you’re still a professional journalist and fact checking should be a part of your work, whether it’s for a blog post or an article.

The fact is, Datsyuk had 16 points 18 playoff games last season. His playoff struggles were disconcerting for a few years, but then so were the team’s as a whole. Like the rest of the Wings, Datsyuk ably address those concerns last season.

Also, what is it with people associated with the Avs and Kirk Maltby? The guy just scored his first goal in 37 games. No one, not even Red Wings fans, sees him as a scoring threat. So if you want to spew baseless platitudes about the Wings’ forwards, forget Maltby. Talk about Cleary and Franzen.

Matt Saler

“Datsyuk is a playoff bust year after year.”

Dater, do your job and check your facts before you make ridiculous statements like that. I know this is not a formal article for the Post, but you’re still a professional journalist and fact checking should be a part of your work, whether it’s for a blog post or an article.

The fact is, Datsyuk had 16 points 18 playoff games last season. His playoff struggles were disconcerting for a few years, but then so were the team’s as a whole. Like the rest of the Wings, Datsyuk ably address those concerns last season.

Also, what is it with people associated with the Avs and Kirk Maltby? The guy just scored his first goal in 37 games. No one, not even Red Wings fans, sees him as a scoring threat. So if you want to spew baseless platitudes about the Wings’ forwards, forget Maltby. Talk about Cleary and Franzen.

Jason

Funny how you left out the 2002 playoffs when the Dive had a chance to finish the Wings, at home. Instead they get shut out two games in a row. Selective memory must be nice.

Jason

Funny how you left out the 2002 playoffs when the Dive had a chance to finish the Wings, at home. Instead they get shut out two games in a row. Selective memory must be nice.

Wing fans get more and more sensitive as another first round exit following a great regular season nears.

BiB

Wing fans get more and more sensitive as another first round exit following a great regular season nears.

JP

Why would Smyth be the x-factor? He hasn’t really done anything against the Wings this year to warrant him as a meaningful player in a 7-game series. If the Avs get healthy, it still doesn’t guarantee anything. Forsberg wasn’t much of a difference maker last year for Nashville, who says he will be with the Avs? A lot of what-if’s in this blog, well how about this, what if the Avalanche miss the playoffs again?

JP

Why would Smyth be the x-factor? He hasn’t really done anything against the Wings this year to warrant him as a meaningful player in a 7-game series. If the Avs get healthy, it still doesn’t guarantee anything. Forsberg wasn’t much of a difference maker last year for Nashville, who says he will be with the Avs? A lot of what-if’s in this blog, well how about this, what if the Avalanche miss the playoffs again?

Caseyj

At least the Wings make the playoffs…

Caseyj

At least the Wings make the playoffs…

R.U. Reddy, Victoria

I arrive at your blog via the Canucks and Beyond Blog, which I have been banned from since my posts fall in “the truth hurts” category for the Stanleycupless (we just act like we’ve won Stanley before) Canucks. And oh yeh we know everything about hockey except how to win a championship Vancouver fans and media. Maybe if we whine enough or act like we’ve won nobody will notice as we declare ourselves an elite team. Sorry, had to get it out.

Having said all that there is a very intersting stretch drive coming, with some great head to head matchups this week. Go Colorado, go Nashville. I would rather see teams that play an exciting style of hockey, than a team which plays for a win by keeping the score close game after game hoping to win in the end (see Vancouver).

R.U. Reddy, Victoria

I arrive at your blog via the Canucks and Beyond Blog, which I have been banned from since my posts fall in “the truth hurts” category for the Stanleycupless (we just act like we’ve won Stanley before) Canucks. And oh yeh we know everything about hockey except how to win a championship Vancouver fans and media. Maybe if we whine enough or act like we’ve won nobody will notice as we declare ourselves an elite team. Sorry, had to get it out.

Having said all that there is a very intersting stretch drive coming, with some great head to head matchups this week. Go Colorado, go Nashville. I would rather see teams that play an exciting style of hockey, than a team which plays for a win by keeping the score close game after game hoping to win in the end (see Vancouver).

Nick

As an avid Oiler fan, I can feel some sympathy for the injuries the Avs have been going through. We lost torres, horcoff (having a career year), souray and our leader moreau (perhaps the best captain in the league not named Joe Sakic). The avs have no chance in hell if they meet Detroit in the first round, the Wings have toyed with the avs in every game this year except that 2-0 victory. Teams will decent puck control and fast forwards can beat the avs because their defense is just too slow (apolgies to commisky who might be one of the quickest guys in the league).
Go Oil
Nick
Manitoba

Nick

As an avid Oiler fan, I can feel some sympathy for the injuries the Avs have been going through. We lost torres, horcoff (having a career year), souray and our leader moreau (perhaps the best captain in the league not named Joe Sakic). The avs have no chance in hell if they meet Detroit in the first round, the Wings have toyed with the avs in every game this year except that 2-0 victory. Teams will decent puck control and fast forwards can beat the avs because their defense is just too slow (apolgies to commisky who might be one of the quickest guys in the league).
Go Oil
Nick
Manitoba

Olongapo Joe

“Why do I blog on my day off?”

Because rubbing Woody Paige’s bunions only takes an hour or so?

Olongapo Joe

“Why do I blog on my day off?”

Because rubbing Woody Paige’s bunions only takes an hour or so?

RWBill

Who is it that is a bust in the playoffs? What a joke NBC keeps hyping “the Forsberg factor” as if one over the hill player can offset the 4 line superiority Detroit has shown on the ice. Unsure about who to start in goal? Could anyone seriously consider starting Jose Goneinfour for game 3?

RWBill

Who is it that is a bust in the playoffs? What a joke NBC keeps hyping “the Forsberg factor” as if one over the hill player can offset the 4 line superiority Detroit has shown on the ice. Unsure about who to start in goal? Could anyone seriously consider starting Jose Goneinfour for game 3?

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.